69 Wonderful Facts about Penguins | FactRetriever.com 69 Wonderful Facts about Penguins By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer Published August 20, 2016 Penguins are one of about 40 species of flightless birds. Other flightless birds include rheas, cassowaries, kiwis, ostriches, and emus. Most flightless birds live in the Southern Hemisphere.[1] Most scientists agree that there are 17 species of penguins. Of the 17 species, 13 are either threatened or endangered, with some on the brink of extinction.[6] The Erect-crested Penguin (Eudyptes sclateri) has lost approximately 70% of its population over the last 20 years. The Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) has lost over 50% since the 1970s, and their chance of becoming extinct this century is 30%.

The most common threats to all penguin survival are pollution, loss of habitat by human encroachment, commercial fishing, oil dumping, algae blooms, and global warming.[3] Generally, penguins are not sexually dimorphic, meaning male and female penguins look alike.[1] The Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) is named after Ferdinand Magellan, who first saw them in 1520. Oil spills kill approximately 20,000 adult and 22,000 juvenile Magellanic Penguins off the coast of Argentina every year.[2] These stones are also called "gastroliths" or "stomach stones" Penguins swallow pebbles and stones as well as their food. Scientists believe that the stones may help grind up and digest their food. The stones may also add enough extra weight to help penguins dive deeper.[2] Penguins do not have teeth. Instead they use their beak to grab and hold wiggling prey. They have spines on the roof of their beak to help them get a good grip. Penguins even have spines on their tongues.[2] Penguins find all their food in the sea and are carnivores.

They eat mostly fish and squid. They also eat crustaceans, such as crabs, shrimp, and krill. A large penguin can collect up to 30 fish in one dive. Penguins (and any animal) that eat only fish are called piscivorous.[2] Penguins spend several hours a day preening or caring for their feathers. If penguins don’t keep them well maintained, their feathers would not stay waterproof. For extra protection, penguins spread oil on their feathers. The oil comes from a special gland near their tail feathers.[3] Penguins molt, or lose their feathers, once a year. They always molt on land or ice and until they grow new waterproof coats, they are unable to go into the water. Molting may take weeks, and most penguins lose about half their body weight during this time.[3] The penguin with the highest number of species is the Macaroni Penguin, with approximately 11,654,000 pairs.[3] Penguin nesting areas are called “rookeries” and may contain thousands of pairs of birds.

Each penguin has a distinct call, which allows individual penguins to find their mates and chicks even in the largest groups.[2] Penguins are highly social birds. Even at sea, penguins usually swim and feed in groups. Some penguin colonies on Antarctica are huge and can contain 20 million or more penguins at various times during the year.[1] One of the largest King penguin nesting colonies is on South Georgia Island, with over 100,000 breeding pairs King penguins can form nesting colonies of up to 10,000 penguins. Each penguin keeps its neighbor at an exact but close distance.[2] Out of all the penguin and bird species, the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) breeds in the coldest environment.

Air temperatures may reach -40° F (-40° C) and wind speeds may reach 89 mph (144 km/hr).[3] A penguin’s normal body temperature is approximately 100° F (38° C).[3] Emperor Penguins are the fifth heaviest of all bird species, although an adult male will lose about 26 pounds while he waits for a penguin chick to hatch.[3] Emperor Penguins have the longest uninterrupted incubation time of any bird at 64-67 days.[6] Emperor Penguins have the widest variety of vocalizations of all penguins. Scientists believe this is because they have no fixed nest site and must rely on vocal calls alone to find their chicks and mate.[2] Most penguin species breed during the spring and summer. Egg incubation varies from 1 month to 67 days, depending on the species. The Emperor Penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the Antarctic winter.[1] Most penguins can swim 5-6 miles per hour, and some can have bursts of speed of up to 15 mph.

They can walk between 1.7 mph and 2.4 mph.[2] In 2012, scientists discovered that a primary reason penguins can swim so fast is that they have a special “bubble boost.” When penguins fluff their feathers, they release bubbles that reduce the density of the water around them. The bubbles act as lubrication that decreases water viscosity, similar to competitive swimsuits.[7] Most penguins spend nearly 75% of their lives in the water Penguins can stay underwater for 10-15 minutes before coming to the surface to breathe. Penguins cannot breath underwater.[1] Even though penguins spend much of their lives at sea, they all return to land to lay eggs.[1] Emperor Penguins are the largest penguins in the world and stand up to 4 feet (1.2 m) high and weigh as much as 100 pounds (45.3 kg).[3] King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) are second in size only to Emperors. A King is almost 3 feet tall and can weigh nearly 35 pounds. Kings don’t waddle the way most penguins do.

Instead, they run fairly quickly on their feet.[2] Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua) can grow up to 30 inches tall and weigh up to 13 pounds. They are different than other penguins because they have a colorful orange bill, and no other penguin has such a big tail.[3] Macaroni Penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus) get their name from the long, orange, yellow, and black feathery crests above their eyes. They were named after “macaroni dandies,” whose hairstyle was fashionable in the 18th century.[1] Little (a.k.a. Blue or Fairy) Penguins (Eudyptula minor) are the smallest of all the penguins. They stand 16 inches high and weigh just 2 pounds. They live in the warmer waters around Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.[6] Penguins’ eyes work better under water than they do in air. Many scientists believe penguins are extremely short-sighted on land.[3] Yellow-eyed Penguins (Megadyptes antipodes), the third-largest penguins, have yellow cat-like eyes.

They live along the coastal shores of New Zealand and neighboring islands.[1] Penguins that live in and around Antarctica tend to survive in large numbers. Penguins that live in more temperate climates are more likely to suffer population declines.[3] Not all penguins live in cold climates All penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, from Antarctica to the warmer waters of the Galapagos Islands near the equator. They can be found on every continent in the Southern Hemisphere. No penguins live at the North Pole.[1] Only two species, the Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and the Emperor Penguins, live on the frozen land of Antarctica. Most penguins live farther north, in New Zealand or along the coast of South America.[1] The Galapagos Penguin lives farther north than any other penguin and is the only penguin that might venture into the Northern Hemisphere.[2] To keep from overheating, penguins pant like dogs to cool off. They also ruffle their feathers and hold their wings away from their bodies.[3] Penguins’ unique coloring is called countershading. To predators looking down from above, the penguins’ black backs help them blend into the dark ocean.

To predators looking up from underwater, the penguin’s white belly blends in against the light sky and snow.[2] Different penguins species have different ways of attracting a mate. King Penguins, for example, sing long songs with their partners. Gentoo Penguin males give their mates gifts of small pebbles or stones. For penguins, bonding is an important part of raising a chick.[2] Most penguin species lay two eggs. However, Emperor and King Penguins, the two largest species, build no nest at all and lay just a single egg. They warm their eggs on their feet and cover it with a flap of skin called a “brood pouch.”[2] When penguin chicks hatch, they are not waterproof, so they must stay out of the ocean. They depend on their parents to bring them food and to keep them warm until waterproof feathers replace their fluffy down coats.[1] In the past, people ate penguin eggs. They also killed adult penguins for their feathers, skin, and oil. People also used penguin droppings (guano) to fertilize the soil and help grow crops. While this seems harmless, some penguins use guano to make their nests.

When the guano was gone, they had to lay their eggs on the bare ground, where they were more susceptible to predators.[1] Larger penguins usually live in cooler regions. Smaller penguins are typically found in more temperate and tropical climates.[3] Some prehistoric penguins were very large, growing nearly as tall and heavy as a human.[1] The earliest known penguin fossil is the Waimanu manneringi, which dates from about 60 million years ago. The fossil was discovered in Antarctica in 1980. Its name comes from Maori term for “water bird.” They were also flightless birds.[1] Penguin etymology is debated. Several scholars claim the word is derived from the Welsh pen gwyn, or “white head.” It originally appeared in the 16th century as a synonym for Great Auk. Other researches believe it is related to the Latin pinguis, or “fat.”[3] Porpoising also allows penguins to breath without slowing down Penguins swim so fast that they can propel themselves over 7 feet (2 meters) above water.

The technique they use to cut through waves like dolphins or porpoises is called “porpoising.”[2] Smaller penguins usually do not dive as deep as larger penguins. Larger penguins, such as Emperor Penguins, can dive as far as 1,870 feet for as long as 22 minutes, making it the deepest-diving nonflying bird and the longest submerged bird. An Emperor Penguin has solid bones rather than air-filled bones, which eliminates the risk of barotrauma. Their heart rate slows to 15-20 beats per minute and nonessential organs shut down during long dives.[3] Penguins can control the blood flow to their extremities in order to reduce the amount of blood that gets cold, but not enough so that their extremities freeze.[3] Penguins can drink salt water because they have a special gland, the supraorbital gland, that filters salt from the bloodstream.[3] An adult male Emperor Penguin is the longest-fasting bird. It will not eat for approximately 115 days during its chick’s incubation/hatching period.[3] Approximately 1 in 50,000 penguins is born with brown plumage rather than black.

These are called isabelline penguins. They live shorter lives than other penguins because they are less camouflaged and often do not mate.[3] Most penguins are found in South Africa, New Zealand, Chili, Antarctica, Argentina, and Australia.[1] All penguins except the Emperor Penguin share incubation duties with their mate. Still, Emperor Penguins manage to get 75% of their young to self-sufficiency.[2] When compared proportionally to the weight of the parent birds, penguin eggs are smaller than any other bird species. Additionally, a penguin eggshell constitutes 10-16% of the weight of a penguin egg, most likely to minimize risk of breakage in rough environments.[1] Tobagganing helps penguins travel long distances Penguins often slide on their tummies over ice and snow. This is called tobogganing.

Researchers believe they do this for fun and as an efficient way to travel.[1] A group of young penguin chicks is called a “crèche.” A group of penguins in the water is called a “raft.” A group of penguins on land is called a “waddle.”[3] Emperor Penguins are the main characters in the 2006 movie Happy Feet. And more than 30 countries have featured Emperor Penguins on their stamps.[5] Penguins have more feathers than most other birds, averaging approximately 70 feathers per square inch. The Emperor Penguin has the most of any bird, at around 100 feathers per one square inch.[3] Chinstrap Penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus) get their name from a thin black line that circles under their chin, like a strap on a helmet. Chinstrap Penguin colonies may reach up to one million penguins.

They are among the boldest and most aggressive of all penguins.[3] While Chinstrap Penguins look dignified and gentleman-like, their exceptionally loud cries have earned them the nickname “Stonecracker” penguins.[3] The 2005 children’s book And Tango Makes Three, based on a true story, is about a homosexual Chinstrap Penguin couple in New York’s Central Park Zoo. The book is listed on the 15 Most Controversial Picture Books.[4] Penguins mate, nest, and raise their chicks in a place called a “rookery.”[6] Penguins lost their ability to fly millions of year ago. However, they are the fastest-swimming and deepest-diving species of any bird. Penguins are also the most aquatic of all birds.[1] Because penguins have no natural land predators, they are typically not afraid of people Penguins typically are not afraid of humans.[3] A wild penguin typically lives between 15-20 years, spending approximately 75% of their lives in the water.[6] The most rare penguin in the world is the Yellow-eyed Penguin, with only around 5,000 living in the wild.

They live along the southeastern coast of New Zealand and nearby islands.[6] The fastest underwater swimming bird is the Gentoo Penguin, able to swim up to 22 mph (36 km/h).[6] While some penguins mate for life or until a partner dies, some penguins often mate with new partners while the old ones are still alive and in the same colony. Some researchers have noted that male and female penguins sometimes “cheat” on their partners, even while they are nesting and raising young with another penguin.[2] Penguins usually enter and leave the sea in large groups. Scientists believe this is for “safety in numbers.” By blending into a crowd, an individual penguin may avoid catching the attention of a predator.[2] Pinnable Facts PENGUINS - Reproduction Reproduction InfoBook Home Sexual Maturity Like most seabirds, penguins tend to be long-lived. They may take three to eight years to reach sexual maturity. With some of the smaller species, breeding may begin at three to four years, but most larger species are not accomplished breeders until much later. On average, breeding does not begin until the fifth year, and a few males do not breed until the eighth year.

Mating Activity Breeding seasons differ from species to species. Most species have an annual breeding season - spring through summer. The king penguin has the longest breeding cycle of all the penguin species, lasting 14 to 16 months. A female king penguin may produce a chick during alternate breeding seasons. Emperor penguins breed annually during the antarctic winter, June through August. During the emperor breeding season, air temperature may drop to -60°C (-76°F) and winds may reach speeds up to 200 kph (124 mph.) For most of the winter, antarctic penguins live in an environment of darkness or half-light. Why emperors breed during the harshest season of the year is unknown, but some scientists speculate that when the chicks become independent five months later (in January and February, the antarctic summer), environmental conditions are more favorable for the young birds. The little penguin breeds throughout the year and has the shortest breeding cycle, which lasts about 50 days. Some of the temperate penguins, like the Humboldt and the African, tend to nest throughout the year. Courtship. Courtship varies among species.

It generally begins with both visual and auditory displays. In many species, males display first to establish a nest site and then to attract a mate. Not all species exhibit all displays, but in general there are three distinct types of displays. Ecstatic. Also called trumpeting, head swinging or advertisement, this display establishes possession of a nest site, attracts females, and warns other males to stay away. Males at the nest site commonly exhibit the ecstatic display before females arrive or when building nests. The male may dip its head low and then stretch its head and neck upward with flippers held outstretched and squawk or "bray". Male penguins can perform the ecstatic display in a sitting or standing position. Some species, like the Adélie, chinstrap, and crested penguins, may swing their head or flap their flippers while calling. Mutual ecstatic. Once paired, male and female penguins perform the mutual ecstatic display together. This display seems to strengthen the pair bond, coordinate nesting behavior, and advertise a nesting territory. The mutual display is similar to the ecstatic display—head and neck stretched upward with a braying vocal.

Crested, brush-tailed, and temperate penguins, stand facing each other, performing the action in unison. Within these species there are some behavior differences. For example, gentoos generally hold their outstretched head and flippers still, while macaronis flap flippers and roll their heads from side to side. Emperor penguins have a unique mutual display position: Standing face-to-face, individuals hold their heads down with bills pointed to the ground while braying. Mutual displays continue throughout the breeding season, often taking place at the nest when parents switch places for egg incubation and chick feeding. Bowing. Bowing displays may lessen the likelihood of aggression and strengthen recognition between partners. One or both of the penguins dips its head and points its bill at the nest or at the other bird's bill. The call is a low hiss or growl Crested penguins may vibrate their bills while pointing in a type of display called "quivering." Emperor and king penguins are the only known marine birds to reflect ultraviolet (UV) light from their bills, and a male king penguin's bill may be used as a cue in finding and selecting a mate.

UV light, invisible to the human eye, can be perceived by most birds. UV reflection off the feathers of studied songbirds has been a recognized factor for mate selection. During courtship, king penguin males come face-to-face and flaunt their bills to possible mates. The strong contrast of the black background of their bills is believed to augment UV light reflection. The strong contrasting black background of this king penguin's bill is believed to augment UV light reflection. Most penguin species are monogamous (one male breeds with one female during a mating season); however, research has shown that some females may have one to three partners in one season and some males may have one or two partners. Mate selection is up to the female, and it is the females that compete for the males. In some penguin species, a female selects the same male from the preceding season to mate with. Adélie penguins have been documented re-pairing with the previous year's mate 62% of the time. Chinstraps re-paired in 82% of possible cases, and gentoos re-paired 90% of the time. In one study of Adélies, females paired with males within minutes of arriving at the colony.

When a female selects a different mate it is usually because her mate from the previous season fails to return to the nesting area. Another reason may be mistiming in returning to the nesting area. If they arrive at different times and miss each other, one or both penguins may obtain new mates. Eudyptes penguins are closely related and some in this genus are known to crossbreed with different Eudyptes members. Rockhoppers are known to interbreed with macaroni, royal, and erect-crested penguins, for example, with matings producing hybrid offspring that in some cases have successfully reproduced as well. Nesting Nest site fidelity. Studies have shown that individuals of most penguin species return each year to the same rookeries. In addition, most penguins return to the same nesting site within the rookery. Studies have indicated that fidelity to the previous year's nest site was 99% for male Adélie penguins, 94% for chinstraps, and 63% for gentoos.

Rockhoppers appear to have an amazingly precise breeding timetable, with males returning to the spot of their former nest virtually on the same day each year, regardless if weather or environmental factors have changed from the previous breeding season. Males arrive first to the rookeries to establish and defend their nesting sites. In a study on Adélie and chinstrap penguins, females arrived one day and five days after the males, respectively. When it is time to breed, mature birds return to the rookery where they hatched. This results in large numbers of penguins at a single rookery rather than penguins colonizing new areas. Some penguin rookeries number millions of birds. Various penguin species may share a particular rookery site. It is not uncommon to find gentoos nesting near Adélie and chinstrap penguins for example, but nesting areas within the rookery are kept segregated by each species. Nesting habitats vary among species. Emperor penguins form colonies on the Antarctic continent. They prefer sites on a fairly level surface of land-fast sea ice sheets in areas sheltered from wind, with easy access to feeding areas.

Rookeries must be far enough inland that the ice does not melt under them prior to the chicks being ready to go to sea. King penguins nest and breed on subantarctic and antarctic islands. They prefer beaches and valleys of level ground or gentle slopes, free of snow and ice, and accessible to the sea. Adélies often nest 50 to 60 km (31.1-37.3 mi.) from the edge of the sea ice on the antarctic continent and nearby on rocky islands, peninsulas, beaches, hillsides, valleys, and other areas free of ice. Cape Adare is home to the largest single colony of Adélie penguins with an estimated population of 282,000 breeding pairs. Gentoo penguins nest in-land or on coastal peninsulas and islands. Gentoo penguin colonies can be inland or coastal on antarctic and subantarctic islands and peninsulas. They tend to breed on ice-free ground on beaches, in valleys, on inland hills, and on cliff tops. Chinstrap penguins nest on fairly steep slopes.

Fiordland crested penguins nest in a wet, coastal rain forest habitat, under bushes, between tree roots, in holes, or on rocky coasts among rocks or in caves. Galápagos penguins nest in volcanic caves or cracks in rock. The South Sandwich Islands have the largest population of nesting chinstraps with an estimated 5 million pairs. Temperate penguins nest in underground burrows. The temperate penguins and the little penguin often nest underground in burrows, rock crevices, caves, under shrubs, or in scrapes in the ground. These species breed in areas where the climate can range from tropical to subantarctic. Underground or other sheltered burrows provide an environment with a relatively constant air temperature for the eggs and chicks. Some Humboldt penguins burrow and create nesting sites in guano (fecal) deposits. Nesting materials vary from species to species and from location to location. Adélies build nests of small stones that they use to line depressions in the ground. Some chinstrap and gentoos also construct nests out of stones. The stones help keep the eggs above the surface when the rookery floods from melting snow.

Adélie, gentoo, and chinstrap penguins are known to take stones from other nests. A penguin returning to the nest sometimes brings its mate a stone as a courtship gesture. Chinstrap penguins usually construct nests with perimeters of eight to ten stones, just enough to prevent eggs from rolling away. Gentoo penguins use nesting materials ranging from pebbles and molted feathers in Antarctica to vegetation on subantarctic islands. One medium-sized gentoo nest was composed of 1,700 pebbles and 70 molted tail feathers. Male and female Adélie penguins build their nests out of pebbles, bones, and moss. This gentoo penguin has constructed its nest out of pebbles. Emperor and king penguins build no nests. They stand upright while incubating a single egg on the tops of their feet under a loose fold of abdominal. Under this loose fold is a featherless patch of skin called a brood patch, which occurs in all incubating birds. The brood patch contains numerous blood vessels that, when engorged with blood, transfer body heat to the eggs. Eggs Eggs may be white to bluish or greenish.

The shape varies among species. In Humboldt and Adélie penguins the egg is more or less round. In emperor and king penguins the egg is rather pear-shaped, with one end tapering almost to a point. With this elliptical shape, if an egg falls off of the feet of a parent bird, the egg will roll in a circle instead of away from the parent. Penguin eggs from left to right: gentoo, king, and emperor. Gentoo penguins construct nests; however, king and emperor penguins incubate eggs on the tops of their feet. The elliptical shape fits snugly. In addition, if the egg happens to fall off, it will roll in a circle instead of a straight line away from the parent. Egg size and weight varies with species.

From the records of SeaWorld's successful penguin breeding programs, emperor penguin eggs measure 11.1 to 12.7 cm (4.4-5 in.) long and weigh 345 to 515 g (12.1-18 oz.), and Adélie penguin eggs measure 5.5 to 8.6 cm (2.2-3.4 in.) long and weigh 61 to 153.5 g (2.1-5.4 oz.) A nest of eggs is called a clutch, and with the exception of emperor and king penguins, clutches usually contain two eggs. (Emperor and king penguins lay a single egg.) A clutch with more than one egg presents a better chance of at least one chick surviving. In the Eudyptula, Spheniscus, and Pygoscelis genera, the first-laid egg is generally larger than the second, and usually hatches first (except in the chinstrap species.) Usually the first chick to hatch has the survival advantage since it will already have fed and will be larger by the time the second egg hatches.

The second, usually smaller, chick cannot compete with the larger chick for food and may perish in times of scarce food resources. In the Eudyptes genus, the second-laid egg and the subsequent chick is usually the larger of the two and usually the survivor. It typically hatches first or at the same time as the chick from the first-laid egg. The first-laid egg is often kicked out of the nest by the adults prior to hatching time. The chinstrap and yellow-eyed species usually lay two eggs. Parents typically raise both chicks, which are nearly equal in size. Incubation Incubation is the time spent warming the egg before it hatches. With the exception of emperor penguins, partners take turns incubating eggs, allowing each mate to leave to feed for several days at a time. A female emperor penguin transfers a single egg to the top of her mate's feet. The female goes to sea to feed while the male incubates the egg. She returns several weeks later, usually just before the egg is ready to hatch, to relieve her mate so that he may feed. The male fasts throughout the courtship, nesting, and incubation periods.

He lives off reserves of body fat which may be 3 to 4 cm (1.2-1.6 in.) thick, and loses up to 45% of his body weight. The incubation period varies with species. It may be as short as one month, as in the erect-crested penguins, or as long as 62 to 66 days for emperor penguins. The incubation temperature for penguins is approximately 36°C (96.5°F); it is a bit lower for the larger species. Emperor penguins can maintain an incubation temperature of 31°C (87.8°F) in an environment that is -60°C (-76°F.) The greatest single cause for reproductive failure in some species is the mistiming between parents for nest relief during incubation. This usually occurs when the female fails to return from a foraging trip before the male deserts the nest. A male will spontaneously leave the nest and eggs when the motivation to feed overcomes that for incubating eggs. Penguins in Antarctica Adelie, Chinstrap, Gentoo, Macaroni, and Emperor Penguins are unique birds in that they do not fly.

Their wings are adapted as swimming flippers by their wing bones being flattened and rather solidly joined so that they are very useful for swimming (up to 30 miles per hour). Penguins often look like they are flying when viewed under water. Most penguins spend the majority of their life at sea and return to land to reproduce. Getting to and from their reproductive areas (called rookeries) on land can be quite a walk but when there is snow to traverse, they often sled downhill to make quick descents. On land, penguins walk (often in straight lines) to and from the ocean between their nesting colonies and their feeding grounds in the ocean (left). These trips can be only a few hundred yards over rocky beaches (like the picture above left) or they can be miles inland, often over snow and ice. Penguins tend to follow the same paths to and from the ocean to feed and bathe. When there is snow in their path they leave footprints (right). Most penguin species spend the year at sea without staying with their mate, returning each summer to their original breeding grounds and often to their original mate.

The numbers of Antarctic penguins has been increasing over the years, a result perhaps of the decrease (from whaling) in the number of baleen whales visiting Antarctica. Without so many baleen whales (krill eaters) visiting Antarctica the krill population has increased and there is more food than ever before for the antarctic penguins. There are 17 species of penguins on Earth, six of which can be found in Antarctica - three brush-tailed, (genus Pygoscelis) - the Adelie, chinstrap, and gentoo; one crested (genus Eudyptes) - the macaroni; and two species of Aptenodytes - the king and emperor. Adelie Penguins (left) Adelie penguin. (right) Adelie penguin rookery. The Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) was named after the wife of one of the early Antarctic explorers (Dumont D'Urville). This small penguin (rarely over 11 pounds) nests on rocky areas that are free of snow in the summer.

Adults return to the same rookery (nesting area) where they were born and build nests out of pebbles. The giving of pebbles to the female by the male is part of the nesting courtship. Nesting pairs may stay together for six years although each year about half the birds change their mate. Eggs are laid in November and chicks hatch in December. The females lay two eggs and the parents take turns incubating the eggs. When they hatch they are fed by the parents who take turns both feeding and watching the chicks very closely for their first several weeks. Unattended chicks are vulnerable to predators, especially the Skua. The rookeries are busy places as parents attend their chicks keeping them well fed, protected, and their nests in order. Nearby there is always a line of penguins coming to and from the ocean as the parents take turns leaving the rookery to feed on krill, returning to either incubate the eggs or feed the growing babies. The nests are quickly stained with pink guano (from the pink krill that they are feeding on). (left) Adelie penguin incubating an egg. (right) Adelie penguin feeding its chick regurgitated krill.

The Adelies have an all black head. After only four weeks, the chicks molt their charcoal downy coat and grow the dense, waterproof feathers that allow them to leave the rookery and begin their lives feeding for themselves. Chinstrap Penguins With a distinctive thin black stripe under their chin, the chinstrap penguin resembles the numerous Adelie penguins but is easily distinguished by their "chinstrap." These penguins also feed on krill. They are scientifically named Pygoscelis antarctica. Their chicks take about nine weeks before they are ready to go to sea. Chinstraps are more aggressive than the Adelies in their breeding behavior. (left) Chinstrap penguin. (right) Brood patch exposed on chinstrap parent. The males occupy the rookeries first, the dominant males selecting the best breeding sites and driving away other, less aggressive birds. If the previous year's mate does not arrive within five days, the male will mate with another female. Should the previous year's female arrive late then there may be a fight between the females with the strongest female winning. Chinstrap nests resemble Adelie nests with the pebbles piled up by the couple.

The female, in preparation for egg laying, makes a depression in the middle of the nest. This pebble nest serves to keep the eggs off the ground and allow melt water to run through. There is such a small window of time for breeding that the arriving penguins must build their nests immediately when they arrive, they can only use bare ground. If the snow melt is late then the areas for nest building are restricted. (left) Chinstrap egg hatching - notice the crack. (right) Baby chinstrap emerging from egg. (left) Chinstrap penguin chicks. (right) Chinstrap parent feeding chick. Gentoo Penguins The colorful orange bill (and white spot on the head) of the gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua, sets them apart from other penguin species. Their breeding habits are similar to Adelies and chinstraps - they return to the same rookeries each year, building nests of pebbles on bare ground, and laying two eggs. The chicks are ready to go to sea at eight weeks but they return each evening to be fed by their parents for an additional two weeks. Gentoo penguin rookery. (left) A gentoo male presenting his female with a precious rock for their nest.

(right) Gentoo parent incubating an egg. It is only in good years that the majority of mating brushtails are able to successfully raise two healthy chicks. During their short reproductive time, during the summer, there may be the occasional summer snow storm creating additional melt water and problems for the parents trying to keep their eggs and babies warm and dry. (left) Gentoo parent with a newly hatched chick. (right) Gentoo parent with two nearly grown chicks. Gentoo parent feeding a chick. These healthy chicks are only weeks from being on their own. Note the bulging crop on the second chick! A snow field may separate the rookery from the ocean so the parents actually create "trails" in the snow as they walk to and from their nests, the parents taking turns caring for the babies and bringing food. Gentoos have typical penguin feet, well adapted to walking over rough rocky terrain and snow. Their tough, fat feet have sharp nails for clinging to rock and digging into the snow. This species is different than other brushtail penguins in that the mated pairs usually stay together throughout the year. They are also a little bigger and shyer than other brushtails.

(left) 'Penguin trails' through the snow - from the ocean to the rookery. (right) Penguin feet are callused and tough for walking through snow and on rocks. Macaroni Penguins The largest of the crested penguins, the macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus, has distinctive yellow feathers along its brow. This species was named after a group of flamboyant dressing men (often with dyed hair) of the 1700s who traveled from England to Italy (and ate pasta) and were called 'Macaroni Dandies'. Do you remember the children's song called Yankee Doodle � "stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni"? The nesting behavior of macaronis is uniquely different than the brushtail penguins. Although they have the same pebble nests, this species usually rears only one chick each season but lays two eggs. The first egg is smaller and darker than the second egg. It is pushed aside and usually does not develop although it is fertile. This purposeful waste of energy does not appear to have any adaptive value for this species. This macaroni chick came from the larger egg.

There is no trace of the smaller, darker egg - probably having been eaten by marauding brown skua birds. (left) Macaroni penguin incubating the second egg. (right) Macaroni penguin chick. Emperor Penguins The largest of the penguins on Earth, the emperor penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri,stands almost four feet high. Although these birds are very large, they have very unusual reproductive habits - they breed in the middle of the Antarctic winter, the most violent weather known on Earth. Other Antarctic penguins breed during the Antarctic summer, building pebble nests on the few rocky headlands available when the snow melts back. Most emperors breed on sea ice, often walking miles inland on the ice. There is no nest for the emperors, the female lays a single egg and it is immediately taken by the male, put on top of his feet, and he snuggles down over it and incubates it. The females leave the males to do all the incubation during the two months of egg development. The males rock back on their heels (to keep the greatest surface area of their feet off the ice) and huddle together for protection during the fierce Antarctic winter storms.

They can loose almost 1/5 of their body weight during this time but they wait patiently for the return of their mate. The females return right when the chicks hatch just in time to relieve the male and feed the newborn regurgitated krill. The weak males then return to the ocean, feed and come back to begin taking turns with their mate. The emperors go back and forth between the ice rookery and the ocean until their baby is ready to be on its own. In very cold years the distance to the ocean may be considerable and make it difficult for the emperors - which often results in poor reproductive years. In abnormally warm years the sea ice can break up and melt before the chicks are ready and this also results in reproductive catastrophes. All in all, the emperor penguin has picked the time and place of the worst weather on Earth to breed and has become successfully adapted. It is speculated that the time it takes to fledge such a large bird could not be accomplished during the Antarctic summer and so their winter reproduction puts their chicks ready to be on their own at the height of the Antarctic summer - during the big krill bloom and thus with abundant food.

This may be the most important reason for the male emperors waiting out the two months of solid darkness, in the wild Antarctic storms just to incubate their single egg. Also, there are virtually no predators during the Antarctic winter to interfere with the reproductive process - oh, but what they put up with to achieve this is heroic. Not a single emperor penguin was sited during the author's trip because the trip was during the Antarctic summer so there are no photographs of emperors in this presentation. Below is an excellent drawing of a king penguin done by Alexa Birk. King penguins are very close in color and form to emperor penguins. (Revised 27 January 2004) PENGUINS - Behavior Behavior Social Behavior Penguins are among the most social of all birds. All species are colonial. Penguins may swim and feed in groups, but some may be solitary when diving for food. Emperor penguins have been observed feeding in groups with coordinated diving. During the breeding season penguins come ashore and nest in huge colonies called rookeries. Some rookeries include hundreds of thousands of penguins and cover hundreds of square kilometers. Penguins exhibit intricate courting and mate-recognition behavior.

Elaborate visual and vocal displays help establish and maintain nesting territories. Although king penguins are highly gregarious at rookery sites, they usually travel in small groups of 5 to 20 individuals. Penguins communicate by vocalizing and performing physical behaviors called "displays". They use many vocal and visual displays to communicate nesting territories and mating information. They also use displays in partner and chick recognition, and in defense against intruders. While on land, some penguins gather in the thousands, like the Adélie penguin colony on Paulet Island off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Penguins preen to keep their feathers in top condition and waterproof. On a well-groomed penguin, water rarely touches the skin. Individual Behavior Navigation. Studies of Adélie penguins indicate that they use the sun to navigate from land to sea. They adjust for the sun's changing position in the sky throughout the day. Preening. Penguins preen their feathers frequently. Feathers must be maintained in prime condition to ensure waterproofing and insulation. Penguins preen with their bills. A gland near the base of the tail secretes oil that the penguin distributes throughout its feathers.

Penguins preen for several minutes in the water by rubbing their bodies with their flippers while twisting and turning.

Question: What is the habitat/breeding ground of a penguin called?
Answer: ROOKERY